Leopard in the Night
by PurplePenguin50
Summary: It was just an average night on patrol for the turtles. Little did they know their lives would change forever when they decide to investigate suspicious sounds coming from the next roof top. Who is this strange girl and why do the Kraang want her? Can a certain hot-headed turtle and his brothers help her in more ways than one? RaphxOC. Reviews welcome! Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT
1. Midnight Rescue

Ch. 1

It was a cool summer night in New York City as four turtles were making their rounds on patrol. "Hey, Leo?" Mikey questioned as they neared the old abandoned apartment building next to the fortune cookie factory. "What is it now Mikey?" Leonardo replied. "Why are we out on patrol again?" "I told you before, to look for signs of the Kraang and the Foot." "But we haven't seen any sign of them for like, the past two weeks." Leo sighed. This had to be at least the tenth time this week Mikey had asked that question. Before Leo could respond they heard the sound of Kraang blasters on the next roof. The turtles quietly walked over to the edge of the roof and poked their heads up to see what was going on. They couldn't believe what they saw. It was a fully grown African leopard fighting off about 50 or more Kraang droids. Raphael turned and whispered to Leo "So, what's you plan?" He thought for a moment "Well….If the Kraang want her than she can't be all that bad right?" Donnie turned to his brother "Wait, are we seriously considering helping her?" "We can't just sit here!" As the turtles watched, waiting for Leo to make his decision more Kraang droids appeared making it apparent that the cat was losing. "Okay let's help her, but try not to get too involved." The turtles jumped into the action quickly taking care of most of the droids. The leopard pounced on Leo, bearing its teeth. "Hey! We're trying to help." The cat softened its expression, looking deep into his blue eyes, knowing the honesty in his voice. Just as the cat was about to unpin him from the ground a Kraang droid came up behind her and hit her over the head with its blaster, knocking her out cold. Before it had a chance to strike Leo, Raph deactivated the droid by splitting its head with his Sais. Leonardo pushed the unconscious cat off of him and helped his brothers finish off the rest of the Kraang. "The ones known as the turtles are trying to stop Kraang from taking the thing that is known as the cat. Kraang commands the Kraang to not send any more Kraang. Kraang says that the Kraang will begin what is known as the retreat." Once there were no more droids the turtles walked over to the leopard. Donnie kneeled down next to her. "What is an African Leopard doing in New York?" "I don't know Don, but that Kraang must've hit her pretty hard to knock her out." "You're not kidding she's almost as big as Master Splinter." Mikey walked over to her and sat. "Awww, she's kinda cute when she not trying to kill something." Raph rolled his eyes and looked away, not really caring about the cat or what it was doing here. Donnie looked at the bump on her head. "She's going to be out for a while with a hit that hard." Michelangelo seized the opportunity. "We should take her back to lair!" Raphael rejoined the conversation by smacking Mikey. "Oww." "Are you kidding? We just watched her rip apart 40-some Kraang. What part of that is a good idea?" Leo glared up at his younger brother. "Well Raph, then what do you think we should do?" He thought for a moment before answering Leo. "We just leave her here." Donatello stood up and faced Raphael. "What if the Kraang come back?" "We could….take her to the pound." They looked at him. The red masked turtle threw his hand in the air. "Whatever! I don't care. It's your call Leo just make it fast, I am not sitting up here all night." Leo looked back to the cat then at Mikey, who was giving him big sad puppy dog eyes. "Okay, we'll take her back to the lair, just until she feels better, and then she's free to leave. That okay with you Raph?" He nodded not making eye contact with Leo. "Then let's go back already." Raph started walking, leaving Leo, Donnie, and Mikey to carry the cat. Mikey and Don both tried to pick her up, but to no avail. Leo sighed and moved them aside. He bent down and picked up the leopard, putting her over his shoulder. The three turned and followed Raph back to the lair.

When they returned to the lair they saw April waiting for them. She stood up when Raph and Donnie walked in. "Hey guys! How was patrol?" Raph ignored her and sat on the couch. "It was good." Donnie replied. April walked over to him. "What's with him?" Donnie sighed as he cast a sideways glace at his hot-head older brother. "You never know with that guy, you just never know." As Leo and Mikey walked Don turned back to her. "Hey April will you go get Master Splinter for me? I have to help the guys with something." "Sure," she said as she walked towards the dojo to get Splinter. Donatello went into his lab and came back out with a hospital-like table and some tools. He put the table under the small light by the wall behind the couch. "Lay her down over here Leo." Don called as they walked into the living room. Leonardo put her down carefully adjusting her paws and tail so that they didn't hang off the table. He got a pillow from the couch and put it under her head. April returned with Splinter. He walked over to his three sons. "Hello boys, how was patrol?" Leo stepped forward "Well sensei, that's kind of what we wanted to talk to you about." Leo stepped aside revealing the unconscious leopard lying on the table. Splinter nodded and walked over to the cat. He ran a hand through her fur and felt the bump on the back of her head. He opened one eye and looked at its dilation before turned back to his sons. "Where did you find her?" "We were by the fortune cookie factory when we heard the Kraang. We decided to check it out. She was on the old abandoned apartment building fighting off more than 50 of them." "So you four decided to help her?" "Hai, sensei." Splinter nodded as Leonardo and Michelangelo walked into the kitchen, while Donnie started to run tests on the cat. Master Splinter walked up to him. "So Donatello, how did you know she was not a wild animal?" "Well…for one thing when she pinned Leo to the ground she didn't claw him to pieces. There was like a moment of hesitation deciding friend from foe." "I see, have you ever heard the phrase 'There's more that meets the eye'?" "Yeah, but I don't get how that fits in here." Sensei chuckled and lay a hand on his shoulder. "You will in time." Splinter walked back into the dojo to continue meditating, leaving a very confused Donatello to continue his work. When he was finished he took the samples he collected and went back into his lab to analyze the data.

Within a couple of hours he walked back into the living room. "Hey everyone! I have some new information on our guest." Mikey and April walked into his lab followed by Leo. Don looked over to where Raphael was sitting on the couch. "Raph, you coming?" He got up and walked over to Don. "Sure, why not." Donnie followed Raph into his lab where everyone was already waiting. Leo looked at him "Don, I don't want to be that guy or anything, but why are you experimenting on our 'guest'?" "Scientific Curiosity." Donnie smiled. "Ok, so I called you here because the question kept bugging me 'What is a leopard doing in New York City?' anyways I decided to run some tests." He pulled down the screen for the projector and turned off the lights. "Here's what I found. So this is the bone structure of a fully grown female leopard." He clicked the remote. "This is the bone structure of the one we found. These are the similarities of the structures." He clicked the remote again and the charts became highlighted. "As you can see there are only a few similarities." That captured everyone's attention. "These are the similarities between the bone structure of our leopard, and that of a human." The chart becomes highlighted again. Everyone becomes shocked at what they see. 94% of the chart was highlighted. "But! That's not all I found." Don clicked twice on his remote. "This is the sample of DNA I took from her. Here's where it gets weird. It contains both human and feline DNA." Leo walks over to Don. "So basically what you saying is that she's a mutant." "Well, not exactly. You see there is no trace of mutagen in the DNA, which leads me to believe that she has never come in contact with it." "So why were the Kraang attacking her, and why is her DNA mixed?" Donnie shrugs. "I don't know, maybe we can ask her that when she wakes up." Raph glares at Donnie. "How do you even know she can talk?" Donnie smirks and clicks the remote, which brings up another x-ray. He points to the screen. "She has vocal chords." A little weirded out Mikey gets up and walks towards the door. "I don't know about you guys but I could go for a pizza right now. I'll be right back." He exited the lab and everyone turned their attention back to the screen. Before Donatello could continue Mikey frantically calls from the living room. "Dudes! Come quick!" Everyone ran out of the lab and burst into the living room. They're shock at what Mikey was pointing to. He was pointing to the empty table under the light. "I think we have a problem."


	2. A New Home

Ch. 2

Everyone stood in shock at the situation, except for Raphael. "I knew this was a stupid idea! Whatever happens I told you so!" Raph yells angrily and crosses his arms over his chest. Leo turns to April, "Go get Splinter and tell him what happened. We'll see if we can find her." She nods and runs off to go find Master Splinter. "Ok guys; be extremely careful, she could be anywhere." "Yeah, and whatever you do don't make her angry." Raph, barely listening to his brothers, walks over to the table investigating where she could have gone. There were a few scratch marks on the floor but nothing major. "This is so…" Before Raph could yell his full complaint Leo cuts him off and waves his hand for everyone to be quiet, "Shhhh ….I think I found her." Leo whispers from the other side of the room. The three turtles walked over to where his brother was standing. They could see he was peering into what looked like an old air duct that probably served as air conditioning for the old subway station. As the four looked inside they could see a pair of blazing neon blue eyes staring out from the darkness. Leo pushed his brothers away from the small opening and looked in making eye contact with the cat. "Hey….it's ok, were not going to hurt you. Do you think you could come out and talk to us?" Leo gave her a reassuring soft smile. The cat started to cautiously inch towards him, still not sure what to make of the talking turtle. She was a couple inches away from the entrance when Raph gave an irritated sigh "What's taking so long!?" The leopard growled and retreated back into the space, making for a very angry Leonardo. "What was that about Raph!? She almost came out. No wonder why she won't trust us!" "Well we were the ones who helped her!" Donnie broke the argument. "Cool it you two. She seems to be deterred by angry or loud behavior. Maybe we should…" Mikey spoke up suddenly. "Let me try! Pleeeaaassseeee!" Leo sighed, "Go ahead but be careful." Mikey hopped in front of the hole and stuck his hand in. "C'mon buddy trust me, we not gonna hurt ya'." She swiped an angry paw at his hand. He pulled it out quickly before it made contact. "Whoa..." Mikey sighed in awe at the speed of the feline. Raph pushed his brother aside. "Watch how it's done." He reached his hand in. The leopard went to strike again, but instead of pulling his hand out, he caught the leopards paw, heaving her out of the space and throwing her over his shoulder. She crashed into bookcase as Raph clapped his hands. "See?" "Nice going Raph, that's exactly what I said NOT to do!" Leo yelled at his brother. "And another thing…" He was interrupted by Mikey elbowing him in the side. They looked over to the obliterated bookcase, where the leopard had landed. She slowly raised herself from the rubble and turned around to face the turtles. She let out a huge roar before jumping straight for them. The four jumped out of the way before taking out their weapons. The leopard landed and boy was she mad. Raph took out his Sais and threw them at her. She caught them and hurled them back at Michelangelo. Mikey dodged them and jumped at her attempting to tie her up with his nunchucks. The cat grabbed the chains and pulled him to her kicking him when in range. He flew backwards crashing into Donnie, who dropped his staff. The leopard stood on her hind legs and walked to pick up the staff and studied it, turning her back to Raph and Leo. Leo jumped towards her hoping to catch the cat off guard. She turned around with lightning speed, one end of the staff in the center of her paw the other end striking Leo in the stomach, sending him backwards into Don and Mikey. The cat snapped the Bo clean in half and turned around to face Raph. "Well, well, well, it's just you and me now kitty." A low growl erupted from the creature's throat. "Don't. Call. Me. Kitty" She lunged at him tackling him to the ground. Raph smirked at her. "Ohh, so you can talk." Raph kicked her into the wall. She bounced off it and landed on her feet, snarling. "Ok that's enough fooling around." She mumbled before beckoning for Raph to come at her. Raph ran at her. At the last moment she jumped up, letting Raph crashed into the wall. He turned around to see her laughing at him. She turned around her back facing him. He ran to her, more careful than the last time. As her neared her she spun around her paw inflicting a swift blow to his chest, using her tail to trip him, she kicked him hard in the gut sending him back into his pile of brothers. Just then Master Splinter and April rushed into the room, seeing the pile of turtles and the leopard standing there. She cracked her neck and charged at them. Before she could strike Splinter stepped to the side and pinched a nerve on her neck, her limp body falling to the ground. He ran over to his sons, April not far behind. "Boys, are you alright?" "Yes, but it would have never happened if Raph could keep his temper under control." Leo stated glaring at his brother. "Hmm, I see…." Splinter said looking at the hot-headed turtle. Raph rolled his eyes and turned away from the conversation. "Donatello, this time restrain her but be sure to be there when she awakens. We do not want another misunderstanding. Michelangelo and Leonardo will assist you; Raphael will keep his distance for now. Understood?" The four turtles looked at him. "Hai, sensei."

As the turtles responded a blue light surrounded the leopard, changing her from a leopard back into a human. Instead of a cat she was now a fifteen year old girl with white, pixie-cut hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a regular blue t-shirt with a yellow paw-print in the upper left corner, and Bermuda shorts. The four turtles gathered around her. Donnie was the first to speak, now realizing what sensei had meant. "Well…. That explains a lot." Leo looked at his brother. "Yeah, you got that right." Leo picked her up in his arms and walked back over to the table, while Donnie walked back in his lab to get some leather straps to restrain her. He came back and walked over to Leo. "What's the matter?" Don asked as he looked at Leo. "See her arm?" He asked while holding up her right sleeve. "Looks like tonight wasn't her only encounter with the Kraang." Leo said solemnly as he rubbed a healed burn mark on her right arm. He never knew what it felt like to take a direct hit from one of their blasters, but something told him that he didn't want to know. Donnie put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Leo, I'm sure she's fine. But she might be a little sore after she got thrown into my book case." Leo helped Don restrain her then went over to the TV to watch Space Heroes. Donnie went back in his lab to finish his work. April and Raph were sitting on the couch reading magazines, and Mikey had pulled out his headphones and began listening to his tunes.

It had been two hours since the fight. Leo turned around from his spot on the floor to check on their guest. To his surprise she was awake and lying there quietly. When he got up and slowly walked to the table everyone looked at him with confused expressions. He gave a slight nod to the table and everyone got the hint. He grabbed a chair and sat down next to the table. "Hello." She looked at him and responded quietly. "Hey" "How are you feeling?" "Well, my back is sore and I'm strapped to a table, but other than that, okay." Leo was surprised at how willing she was to talk to him, so he continued. "How long have you been awake?" She thought for a moment. "About an hour, I guess." Don and Mikey walked up behind Leo. "I'm Leonardo, this is Donatello, and that's Michelangelo." She nodded looking around at the new faces. "Nice to meet you. But… weren't there four of you?" Leo pointed to the red banded turtle who was still sitting on the couch. "Yes, he's Raphael." Raph just waved his hand in the air, not looking up from his comic book. "Oh, um, my name is Taylor; I suppose you have already met my other half." The turtles nodded. "Sorry about before, I was just kind of disoriented." Leo smiled a little. "It's fine." There was a short silence. "So could you, um, untie me now?" Donnie went over to the straps. "Yeah, sorry about that." "Don't worry, it's completely understandable." Don finished untying her and she stood up from the table. Even though she was fifteen, she only came up to their shoulders. April walked over to her, and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm April." Taylor shook her hand. "Hi April, I'm Taylor." The two turned back towards the turtles. Mikey walked up to Taylor. "Aren't you like afraid of us or something?" Taylor shook her head. "No. Should I be?" Mikey waved his hands back and forth. "No, no it's just usually when people see me and my bros they scream and run." Taylor couldn't contain her laugh. "I'm part leopard so you have nothing to worry about." The brothers smiled warmly at their new friend's kindness. "You should probably meet Master Splinter." Leo said gesturing for her to follow. "He's the tall rat, right?" Leonardo nodded. "Yup, that's him. Come on he should be in the dojo." "Alright."

The four of them walked into the dojo, where they saw Master Splinter meditating. He opened his eyes as they walked in. "Sensei, this is Taylor." "Ah yes, nice to meet you Taylor. My name is Hamato Yoshi, but you may call me Master Splinter." She nodded as she shook his hand. "Forgive my curiosity, but how did you manage to defend against my sons before?" Taylor shrugged. "I guess I just learned it after awhile." Master Splinter thought for a moment. "I see, would you mind sparing with me? I want to test your skills. Have you ever practiced the art of ninjitsu?" "Sure, maybe a little bit, but it doesn't exactly follow the book." The turtles were shocked. No one had ever agreed to spar with sensei before, knowing they wouldn't stand a chance. They sat to watch as Splinter and Taylor took their stances. Taylor held up a hand. "Oh, hold on a sec." The blue aura traveled around Taylor as she changed back into her leopard form. The turtles sat their witnessing the transformation. "Ok now I'm ready." They stayed in their stances, Splinter on two legs and Taylor on four. He walked towards her and tried some hits, which she easily blocked. He performed a kick to trip her; she jumped hitting him with her tail. He slid a couple inches before stopping. He picked up his staff and twirled it and ran at her. He positioned himself to hit her head. As he brought it down she stepped back with great speed, letting the staff hit the floor. When it hit the floor she stepped on it, trapping Splinters hands underneath it, and delivered a swift blow to his face, sending him backwards, leaving the staff under her paw. She kicked it up and caught it. Splinter landed on his back next to the tree. Taylor pounced landing with a paw on his chest pinning him to the floor, and pointing the staff at his head. Leo, Donnie, and Mikey gasped as she pinned Master Splinter. She had just done what all of them thought was impossible. He nodded telling her the match was over and that she knew most of the basics and then some. Taylor let him up. "But remember," Splinter said stepping on her tail causing her to jump and let out a yelp. ", expect the unexpected." He chuckled. "I see great potential in you. If you want you are welcome to join April and my sons in training." "Yes, thank you, Master Splinter." She replied as she returned to her human state and bowed. He bowed back as Mikey ran up to Taylor engulfing her in a hug. "Oh, yeah! I can't wait. It's going to be so awesome." She laughed as he put her down. "Yea, I can't wait either. I've never had someone to train with." She turned back to Splinter who was rubbing his chin. "Now, about your situation, you were fighting the Kraang when my boys found you correct?" "Yes, for about the eleventh time this week." "So you must live close by." "Yes….." Splinter raised his brow in suspicion, noticing how unsure she was in her response. She caught his glare and shifted her weight uneasily. "Well…actually... no, I…don't really have a place to live. I've just been kind of roaming the city." She explained with sadness in her voice. Master Splinter put a paw on her shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that. You are welcome to stay at the lair for as long as you like." Taylor lifted her head and smiled at him. "Thank you Master Splinter. You're extremely kind."


	3. To The Point of Understanding

It had been a week since the turtles had met Taylor. Everything was going fine, she trains with them, watches Space Heroes with Leo, helps Donnie with his work, and learned to skateboard with Mikey. Though things hadn't been going so well between her and Raph. Nearly every time they came in contact with each other it resulted in a fight, Raph usually being the one who starts it. One day after another of their fight they both kneeled in front of Master Splinter. "This is the seventh argument this week. That is the matter with you two?" Taylor looked up to Splinter. "I don't know, I'm the one trying to be nice." Raph was betting more furious by the second. "Ohh, so I guess that makes me the problem." "You're the one that said it." "You're unbelievable!" Splinter broke them apart. "That's enough! We cannot work together if we continue to fight each other. Therefore, I have come up with a solution to this problem." The two knelt there confused until, he told them to follow him to the dojo. The two walked inside leaving him standing in the doorway. "You two are not allowed out of this room until you learn to properly sort out your differences." Raph threw his hands in the air. "But sensei how can you..." Splinter raised his hand silencing Raphael. "Learn to get along and you may come out." He stepped out and closed the door. "This is just great!" "Yeah, you're telling me…" Taylor sat against the tree as Raph found a seat on the opposite side of the dojo. Silence fell over the room before it was broken by Taylor. "So why do you hate me?" Raph just grunted and shrugged. "I don't get it you have it so much better than me." Raph stood clearly angered by the comment. "Really? Really!?...You think I have it good. Hmmm, let's see the Kraang want to destroy us, the Shredder wants our shells above his fire place, we live in the sewers, and we're barely allowed topside! Yea, we're so fortunate." Taylor stood to face him. "You're so dumb you have no idea how fortunate you are! You still have a father, while my parents died when I was six, I've wandered the city alone, you still have your brothers, your home is warm and dry, and I've been living in broken old storage bin! You never have to worry about where your next meals coming from. And to top it all off…"She lifted up her shirt sleeve, showing the healed burn. "…, you've never had to fight of the Kraang single handedly when you didn't even know how to fight!" Raph heard her voice crack at the last few words showing how upset she had become. She transformed into a leopard and climbed up the tree out of sight. Raphael was shocked. He hadn't known how bad her life really was. He felt so stupid that he had not realized how good he had it. He could never imagine living his life without his brothers or sensei. He could never think of having no where to stay or going hungry. He felt terrible that he was giving her such a hard time, and for nothing. The worst part was seeing the large burn mark on her arm. Even though the Kraang were always after them, he always had his bros to back him up, and he never had to defend himself injured. He sat and pondered for a while. He knew the only way to make it up to her was to apologize, but he knew he would never get her out of that tree. He peered into the tree and could see her resting on a branch close to two stories off the ground. Raph got up and walked over to the tree, noticing the deep claw marks she had left in the trunk. He laid his Sais on the floor, and started his assent up the tree. Taylor lay on a branch, tears rolling out of her eyes into her fur. She kept thinking about Raph, even though she tried not to. Why was he so mean to her? What had she ever done to him? Nothing, that's what. She tried to be friendly but always got insulted or given the cold shoulder. He had everything she always hoped to have; a father, friends, and a home. She closed her eyes. The first people she had interacted with in years and there was that one person that hated her for no reason. Sure she had always been different, but you would expect four mutant ninja turtles and their ninjitsu master father, who was a talking rat to understand. They all did except for Raphael. They treated her like family; something she had not known since she was six, when that fire destroyed everything she loved and knew. She was smart but dropped out of school, knowing they'd send her to foster care. So she ran, never looking back, never forgetting. She was eventually capture by the Kraang and brought to their facility. They implanted her with feline DNA, hoping to test the mutagen on her. She managed to escape but was electrocuted in the process. Her DNA merged with the leopards and she gained the power to shift her shape. Ever since then the Kraang wanted her, wanting to know how she gained mutant powers without the mutagen. She was pulled from her memories when the branch she was on moved slightly. Raph had made it to the branch she was lying on. He looked at her and saw she was crying softly. He never seen her this sad while she had been staying with them. She was usually so upbeat and happy, like Mikey. He figured she had been holding back her emotions, never being able to know the toll their fights played on her. Raph climbed on the branch and sat. He knew she noticed his presence by the way her ears swiveled towards him, but refused to open her eyes. Taylor expected him to yell at her telling her what a big fuse she was making but it never came. He simply sat there. After about an hour she felt the branch shake and assumed he was leaving until she felt a soft poke on her nose. Raph had inched his way over to her making sure not to fall or break the branch. He softly poked her nose. Her icy blue eyes opened as she made eye contact. Raph held her gaze. "Look….I'm sorry about how I was a jerk before. I didn't mean for it to go this far. I didn't know about your past." She lifted her head their eyes still locked. "You were right about me…not knowing how fortunate I am. I'm just really sorry, for everything." He smiled and wiped a tear from her eye. "Can you ever forgive me?" She smiled at him and sat on her hind paws. "Sure, Raph, sure." Raph smiled back at her glad that there would be no more fights and that she had forgiven him. "Good, now let's get down from here." "Do you need help? It's a lot harder getting down than it is going up." He nervously looked at the ground. "Yeah, and it was hard enough getting up." "Ok, let's see. Can you get down to that branch over there?" Taylor asked pointing towards a branch about five feet directly below them. "Yeah, I think so." Raph said as he started climbing down to the limb. He reached the branch and Taylor jumped down next to him. "Okay, take my hands." He looked at her before grabbing her paws. "Ok, so on the count of three I'm going to lower you to the ground." Raph nodded as her hind claws gripped the limb they were on. "One. Two. Three." Raphael slid off of the branch as Taylor gently lowered him to the ground. Once he had his feet on the ground he looked back up to her. "Ok now you let go." "What!?" "Just let go of the branch. Trust me." She nodded and let go of the limb. She fell and Raph caught her in his arms. She transformed back into a human. "Thanks." Raph set her down. "No problem." Taylor sat down against the base of the tree. "So, are we good now?" Raph sat down next to her. "Yeah, were good." Raph dozed off for a little while. When he woke up he found Taylor had fallen asleep as well. She was fast asleep nuzzled into his side. He sighed. She looked so calm and peaceful. He put his arm around her and fell back to sleep.

It had been about ten hours since Master Splinter locked Raphael and Taylor in the dojo. He and Leonardo walked up to the door. "So, really think it worked sensei?" "I guess we will just have to see." Splinter opened the door and the two walked inside. The two stopped in front of the tree. They looked down to see Raph and Taylor asleep; Raph having his arm around her and Taylor nuzzled into his side. Splinter turned to Leo. "I told you it would work." Leo nodded and turned to leave. "Where are you going?" "I have to give Donnie his five dollars I owe him." Splinter chuckled and walked out after Leo. As soon as they left Mikey popped his head into the doorway. "Awww. They look so cute!" Mikey whispered before he took out his camera and snapped a picture. He turned and scurried back to the living room before anyone noticed.


	4. Red, Spike, and Blue

Taylor opened her eyes. She found herself on the couch, where she usually slept, covered by a blanket. She looked around confused at how she got from the dojo to the couch. She yawned and sat up, looking into the kitchen to see Leo and Mikey sitting at the kitchen table. Her stomach growled as she walked into the kitchen. "Morning Taylor." "Good Morning Leo." "Morning Mikey." Mikey smirked at her. "Morning." She eyed him up and down suspiciously as he continued to give her a funny look. "What?" "Oh nothing." He replied walking backwards out of the kitchen. Taylor looked at Leo hoping he could explain. "Beats me." She shrugged it off, poured some cereal and milk into a bowl and sat down across from Leo, who was sipping his tea. "So how was your day yesterday?" "Oh, you know ate some pizza, watched some Space Heroes. The usual. How was your 'time out' with Raph?" "Weeellll…. Things were said. I climbed up the tree. He followed me and apologized. We climbed down, sat next to each other and fell asleep." Leo was shocked. He never expected Raph to apologize, maybe admit he had been a little to mean, but not apologize. "I guess that means you two won't be fighting anymore and you are going to be friends." Taylor nodded. "The only things I still don't understand is how I ended up back on the couch." "I couldn't tell you, but you might want to ask Raph when he gets up. He probably knows." "Yeah." As soon as they finished their conversation. Raph walked out of his room and into the kitchen. "Morning Leo." "Morning Raph." Raph walked past Leo and over to Taylor. "Morning, kitty." Raph said while messing up her hair. "Morning Raph, and don't call me that." "Why?" "Because, I'm not a kitty." Raph leaned on the counter. "Well, you're cute like a kitten." Taylor blushed while Leo did a spit-take. Leo wiped off the table as Raph joined them. Leo got up and put his cup in the sink. "Uhh, I'll leave you two alone. I guess." He walked out of the kitchen. "So Raph, would you know how I ended up on the couch last night?" "Um…, it was late and you fell asleep so I picked you up and put you there." "Oh, well, thanks." "Anyways are you sure that couch is comfortable?" "Yeah it's fine. I mean it beats a rooftop." Raph nodded. "That's true." "Well, I'm going to take a shower and get changed. Enjoy your coffee." "Okay." Taylor got up and headed towards the bathroom. Raph sat there and thought for a couple minutes. He got up and headed into the dojo to find Master Splinter.

Since Taylor didn't have many clothes and there wasn't the option of going shopping, Donnie had managed to duplicate her clothes so she owned about seven sets of her outfit. She never really wanted different clothes anyways, if it ain't broke don't fix it, right? She grabbed a fresh set of clothes and walked into the bathroom. She took a shower and got dressed. She bushed her teeth and looked at her hair in the mirror. Taking her towel she ran it over her hair concentrating it towards the middle, leaving her hair spiked. She smiled; pleased with her work she walked out of the bathroom to see Raph waiting for her. She jumped not expecting him to be there. "Geez Raph, don't scare me like that. "C'mon I have to show you something, and I like your hair by the way." Before she could object Raph turned her around and cover her eyes. "Where are we going?" "You'll see." Raph lead Taylor across the lair, stopping in front of his room. "Are you ready?" "How could I not be?" Raph lifted his hand off her eyes. She looked in the room and saw Raph's bed and furniture had been moved and rearranged enough to make room for another small dresser and a hammock. "Since you've been staying with us for awhile and you can stay on the couch forever; I talked to sensei and he said it would be okay if you shared my room, since it's the biggest and were finally getting along." Raph smiled as he walked in the room and sat on his bed. Taylor stood there frozen. It had been nine long years since she had had a bed room, even more so a hammock, or any type of bed for that matter. She could still remember her old hammock, how she would never sleep in her bed, preferring the soft fabric that hung from the ceiling and gently swung back and forth. She returned to reality and rushed over to Raphael, crushing him in a hug. "Raph, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He hugged her back. "You're welcome." Taylor walked over to the hammock. "How did you know I love hammocks?" "A certain red-head told me you mentioned it." She hopped up on the hammock and gently rocked back and forth. "Oh it's perfect! Just like when I was smaller." Raph walked over to the small dresser and opened a drawer. He took out a red blanket and pillow. He threw the pillow to her. She caught it and placed it behind her head. Taylor laid there for a few moments before looking over at the small dresser and the mirror above it. "How did you find this? I must've taken forever." "No, actually Donnie made it out of his old book case." Taylor remembered the first day she met the turtles. "Oh yeah." She walked over to it and noticed a little stuffed leopard sitting on the right side of the dresser. She sat down on the floor to look at it at eye level. "What's this?" "Oh, that's just a stuffed animal I found in the closet. I thought you'd like it as a decoration, so there it is." He sat down next to her. She had a look of longing on her face, her mind being distanced. "What would you do with it?" Raph shrugged. "I don't know play with it or something." She looked back at him then at the toy. She slowly reached for it and patted its head. Raph looked at her. "Haven't you ever had a toy before?" She looked down and shook her head. "No." He gave a small smile and picked up the leopard. "Well he won't bite you as long as you don't bite him." He turned towards her and she turned towards him. He bopped the leopard's nose with hers. She giggled as Raph handed her the toy. She picked it up and looked into his eyes. "He's got blue eyes just like me." Raph nodded and inched closer to her. "Are you going to give him a name?" She looked at him. "Hmm. How about Blue?" "He looks like a Blue." Taylor hugged Blue before standing up and putting him in her hammock.

As she turned around she noticed something move on the dresser on the other side of the room. "Hey, what's that?" she asked Raph as he stood up and walked over to where she was pointing. "This is Spike, my pet turtle." At the mention of his name Spike poked his head out of his shell and look at Raph. Taylor walked up behind Raph. "Can I meet him?" "Sure." He picked up Spike and gently placed him on Taylor's hand. Spike retreated to his shell. "I don't think he likes me." "No, he's just a little bit shy, is all. Change and lay down on the floor, I want to try something." Taylor changed into her leopard form and lay down on the floor. Raph put Spike, who was still in his shell, down in front of her. He grabbed a small piece of lettuce off Spike's food dish and wafts it in front of him, before laying it on Taylor's nose. He poked his head out of his shell and gazed at the cat with the piece of food on her nose. He walked up and ate it. He chewed it and licked her nose hoping for more. She blinked at him as he made his way around to her side. He hooked onto her fur and climbed up onto her back. Looking around, he walked up her neck and sat on top of her head, flattening her ears with his feet. Spike sat contently as Taylor stood up and looked at Raph. "Looks like someone likes me after all." "I'll say." Raphael held out his hand as Spike climbed on it. He turned and put Spike back on the dresser. "So what do you want to do now?" Taylor said standing up on all four paws. Raph walked over to her. "I don't know. I was thinking of going swimming, you want to come?" "Well, I uhh. I don't… know how to swim." "Oh, well I could always teach you." "Ok, I guess it would be neat to learn how to swim." Raph gestured her to follow him. He walked out of the room, Taylor trotting after him.

They reached the little pool by the entrance to the lair. Raph jumped in and looked back up to her. "Are you going to come in or what?" She looked at the water. "Um, is 'or what' an option?" "Nope." She sighed and backed into the water her front paws still gripping the concrete. As she slid in her claws scraped the ground, reassuring her that she wasn't going anywhere. She turned to face Raph. "Now what?" He held out his hand. "Here, grab my hand." Taylor grabbed his hand as he pulled her out into the middle of the pool. "Ok, now when I let go relax and kick your legs as if you were running in place." She hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. He let her go and she started to tread water. "See? That wasn't so hard." "So now that I can float, how do I move?" She grabbed onto Raph's arm again. "Well do you want to learn as a human or a cat?" "As a cat." Taylor replied figuring it would be easier to learn as a cat. "Ok, so every time you kick your back leg you are going to pull forward with your front leg." Raph put her back onto the wall and swam to the middle again. "Swim over to me." "I'll try." She pushed herself off the wall and swam to him, going slow at first then building up speed until she reached him. She grabbed hold of his hand. "Wow, I never expected you to learn this fast. You're a natural!" She smiled at him "Thanks." They practiced, and in no time she was swimming like a pro. Taylor and Raph swam for hours, exploring underground tunnels, finding numerous bottle caps and old coins. They eventually resurfaced back in the lair. Raph jumped out of the water holding some of their treasure. Taylor placed the things she had collected on the cement and tried to climb out. She made it about half way before falling back in. "Hey Raph, could you give me a hand?" "Yeah, sure." He leaned down grabbing her paw and pulled her out. She stood, her wet fur draped over her like a shaggy dog. The wet fur on her head covered her eyes. Raphael couldn't contain his laughter at the sight. He laughed his shell off. She moved the fur out of her eyes and looked at him. "What's so funny?" "Nothing." Raph replied in between laughs. Taylor shook the water out of her fur, becoming dry once again. She changed back into her human form and picked up their treasure. They both walked back to Raph's room to get ready for training.


	5. Friend and Enemies

Hey everyone! I am happy to announce there will be a sequel to this story. I will be a little different but it will definitely have more Taylor and Raph fluff and a ending that will surprise everyone. For this story there will probably be at least 3 or 4 more chapters before the end, maybe an epilogue. I also have some one-shots that will be up soon, I'm open to some ideas from you guys so either PM me or send it in a review. Parings mainly Raph/Taylor; Leo, Mikey, Donnie/ Taylor(brother/sister); Splinter/Taylor(father/daughter), but I'm up for anything. Enjoy! P.S I'll update faster if I get some more reviews. :)

~PurplePenguin50~

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A month had pasted since the fighting had stopped and Taylor and Raph had grown incredibly close. They spent their days mostly sitting in the living room watching TV, and often going swimming. Taylor trained with April and the boys, teaching them some of her tricks and they, in return, teaching her some of the katas they knew. Donnie had taught her how to use a bo staff since it was most familiar to her. The only problem was when she was in her leopard form it was hard for her to move around, so he designed a special one for her. This one being made out of solid titanium and was able to retract from a five-foot staff into a six-inch rod that fit on a belt. Master Splinter had not yet permitted her to go on patrol with the turtles, but that was about to change.

Everyone had just finished training and the turtles were getting ready to go on patrol when Master Splinter called them into the dojo and told them to kneel. "Tonight I am permitting Taylor to go on patrol with you. I want you to be extra careful. She has the capability to take care of herself, but does not know her way around the city or know the way back to the lair." He cleared his throat. "Taylor!" As he spoke her head popped through the door. He motioned for her to come and kneel. She walked through the door and knelt. "Taylor, I have decided you are ready to go on patrol." She let out an excited gasp but didn't move from her place. "Though, like my sons, you will need to conceal your identity." He walked over to a drawer and pulled out a green mask. Splinter handed it to her. She took it and tied it around her head. He also handed Taylor her belt and staff, which she strapped around her waist. "Thank you, master." "Your welcome, and be safe." The turtles stood besides Taylor. They bowed to Master Splinter and exited the dojo. Once they exited the liar they walked towards the nearest man hole. Taylor walked as Leo explained how to get back to their home. Mikey jumped in front of them as Donnie opened the man hole. "Hey, Taylor are you excited to go back up to the surface?" "Yeah, I almost forgot what it looks like up there." Transforming into a leopard she followed the rest of the turtles up the ladder. Taylor reached the surface and gazed into the alley taking in a breath of the fresh air. She stretched and looked up to Leo. "So where we off to?" "We're going to check out this warehouse we've been watching for a while. There hasn't been a lot of activity but it's a place to start. Let's go." They climbed up to the roof top and started their journey across the city. Although it was her first time on patrol, she had no problem keeping up with the guys.

They soon reached the warehouse where Leo decided to wait for any alien activity. About an hour pasted and there was no sign of the Kraang. Mikey and Donnie were having a game of paper football, while Raph and Taylor were just sitting waiting for Leo, who was still watching the building, to make his next move. Leo suddenly straightened as he spotted a FedEx truck coming around the corner and stopping in front of the building. "Guys, over here." Everyone walked to the edge of the rooftop. Raph stood besides Leo. "You called us for the delivery man?" "Well, don't you think it's a little suspicious that he stops at an abandoned warehouse?" Raph rolled his eyes. "Yeah Leo, the Kraang have moved to ordering scientists off the internet." As the two bickered Taylor turned away from the group. Unbeknownst to the turtles a small noise sounded behind them. She turned and flattened herself to the ground and slowly stalked towards the noise. Taylor could feel the vibrations of where the person was. Whoever they were they were trying extremely hard not to be detected. She neared the edge off the roof and closed her eyes, concentrating on her senses. She tensed her muscles and pounced. She landed pinning a girl about her same age to the ground. "Hey! Get off of me!" They yelled clearly annoyed. "Who are you?" Taylor growled through gritted teeth. "None of your business. Now I said get off!" The girl blew blinding powder into the cat's eyes. She whined and shook her head, rubbing her eyes. Taylor backed off while her opponent drew her katana. She ran towards Taylor, who dodged each one of her swings. She jumped, aiming the blade at her throat. Taylor caught the sword with her claws and yanked it out of her hands. She broke the katana in half and threw the pieces behind her. She jumped straight for the enemy tackling her to the floor, her paw pressed against the base of her neck. Taylor roared and bared her teeth. By now the turtles had heard the commotion and gone to check out all the commotion. They were shocked once they knew what was going on. They saw Taylor, pinning Karai to the ground ready to inflict her final blow. Leo ran up to them and tried to push Taylor off of her. The cat didn't budge. She stood as solid as a rock pinning her opponent to the ground. "Taylor, it's ok! It's just Karai, you can let her up!" Taylor looked up at him. "Why? She sneaked up on us, almost blinded me, and then tried to slit my throat." She raised her paw and stretched he claws. Leo turned back to Raph panic in his eyes. "Raph, come on she's your girlfriend! You know her better than anyone else. Do something!" Raph shot a glare at Leo a small blush visible on his face. "She's not my girlfriend!" "I don't care do something!" Raph walked up behind Taylor and wrapped his arms around her waist. "C'mon Kitty playtime's over." He pried her off of the kunoichi. He backed tracked towards Don and Mikey holding her back with all his strength. Taylor squirmed to get out of his grip. "Raph, let me go." "Not until you calm down." He sat down on a generator still holding Taylor. Karai walked over Leo, who was standing by his brothers. "Nice pet where'd you find her? The pound?" Taylor narrowed her eyes at Karai. "I am NOT a pet!" She tried to pull herself out of Raph's arms to get to Karai. He held her tight and stroked her head trying to calm her down. Karai just chuckled. "Hahahaha. They're cute. Anyway you owe me a new katana." She held up the pieces of her old one. Leonardo was not amused. "What do you want Karai?" "Oh, you know the usual. But now I have to get more blinding powder thanks to your friend." Leo smirked. "You were the one who decided to sneak up on us." Karai scoffed. "Well I never expected you to get a guard dog." Taylor doubled her attempts to get free of Raph's grip. "Oh come on, Raph just one round! I can take her!" Raph tightened his hold. "Not today, Kitty."

While Leo and Karai talked Raph was whispering to Taylor. "You okay?" She stopped squirming to look at him. "Yeah, but my eyes burn a little." He struggled to turn her so that she faced him. He looked into her eyes. "They look a little red, but you should be fine." He pressed his nose against hers looking deep into her eyes. She smiled and almost immediately calmed down. Mikey and Donnie smirked at each other. "Are you calm now?" Taylor sighed. "Yes, I am." Raph released her and she tentatively walked up to Karai. "I've always wanted a little kitty." Karai said with a heaping dose of sarcasm. Taylor just bared her teeth and growled. Karai back flipped onto the adjoining building "See you around Leo." Was all she said before jumping off and out of sight. Leo stared at the spot where she was for a few seconds before going back to the group. Donnie looked to his older brother. "Well, that was fun." Leo shot him a glare but didn't say anything. After a couple of minutes Leo started walking. "It's getting late we better head back to the lair." The rest followed him as they made their way back to their home.


	6. A Dark Past Leads to a Bright Future

About half way home Leo stopped and looked back, only to realize they were missing someone. Taylor. "Has anyone seen Taylor?" Mikey looked up to him. "Yeah bro she's right…" He turned around expecting her to be behind them but the space where she would be was empty. "Well, in that case. No dudes haven't seen her. Oh no! We lost her! What are we going to do!?" Donnie put a hand on Mikey's shoulder in an attempt to comfort his brother. "Calm down Mikey she probably just took a wrong turn or something. She couldn't have gotten far." Raph was worried. He knew how unpredictable the world could be, not only that but it seem the Kraang always show up at the worst times. "Guys we have to find her, especially since she's wanted by the Kraang and we have Karai running around." Leo sighed and looked at his brother. "It's okay Raph I'm sure she's fine. Here's what we'll do: Donnie, you look down street level, I'll head this way, Mikey you take the east, and Raph'll go back the way we came. Agreed?" The all nodded before separating to search. Raph ran off to look for his friend. He tried to think of any place she might be but nothing came to mind. He doesn't even know where she used to live. Taylor had told him that it wasn't important so he had just shrugged it off.

Raph jumped from roof to roof until he spotted a small light in the distance. He ran towards the light hoping it was Taylor. Raph came to the run down little shack that the light was coming from. He cautiously stepped inside. To his surprise he saw Taylor sitting facing a wall with what looked to be old newspapers nailed onto it. He looked around the small space seeing dirty bandages in one corner, a shredded blanket in the other corner, and a plastic cup which was supposed to contain clean water next to the entrance. He walked slowly inside. Raph accidentally kicked a discarded bottle, making a small noise. Taylor's fur stood on end as she growled and looked over her shoulder. She saw it was Raphael. "Oh, it's just you." Sighing she turned back towards the wall of the shack. Raph walked up and sat down next to her. "You know you had us all worried to death right?" She slowly nodded. "Sorry. It's just….." "Just what?" "It's just….. that as much as I try forget it always comes back to me. My mind always goes back to that day I've tried so hard not to remember." Raph wanted to know what she was talking about but at the same time didn't want to cross any kind of line. He threw caution to the wind and slowly asked. "Tried to forget what?" She looked up to one of the papers and placed her paw on it. Raph looked up at the page. The paper date back to 2003, the title read 'Deadly Fire Leaves Two Dead and One Missing.' He skimmed the article. A fire destroyed a building leaving two people trapped. Their neighbors stated the couple had a daughter, but she had not been found. There was a picture of the burning house on the page along with the three victims. The little girl on the far left was Taylor. She had shoulder length hair that looked to be dark brown along with brown eyes. Raph looked at cat sitting next to him and gestured to one the pictures. "Are….. are they your parents?" She lowered her head and replied in a small voice. "Yeah. They were my only living family. When I lost them I just couldn't handle it so I dropped out of school, ran away, and lived alone. Nobody could ever replace them. They were my whole world…." She stopped and closed her eyes trying to hold back tears. Raph leaned over and hugged her. "It's ok, I'm here. Everything's going to be okay." She put her paws over her eyes and began to cry. Raph pulled her close to him as she sobbed into his plastron. He gently stroked her back until she stopped crying. He pulled her into a tight hug. "I will never leave you. I promise." They sat there for a while. Taylor looked up onto Raph's eyes. "Thank You." She whispered. Raph smiled. "Always. If you ever need to talk, I'm right here." Taylor changed back into a human and stood. "Come on we better head back to the others." Raph stood up besides her and the two of them made their way back to the lair after Raph had texted them to meet him there.

Raph and Taylor walked into the entrance to the lair to be greeted by three now relieved turtles. Leo looked at Taylor. "What happened? We got so worried when we couldn't find you." Taylor thought for a moment and was about to tell them when Raph spoke up. "She took a wrong turn and ended up going in a big circle." She gave him a quick look which he returned. Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo seemed to buy Raph's story; all of them nodding in agreement and Donnie telling her that a right at the bakery instead of a left would have led her that way. After the conversation ended all five of them decided to call it a night. Raph and Taylor walked into their room. Taylor took off her mask, putting it on her dresser and went to lie in her hammock. "Do didn't have to do that you know." Raph smiled as he plopped down on his bed. "Yeah, but it's a touchy subject and I didn't want you to get upset." Taylor swinging in her hammock smiled at his reply. She had never had someone care that much about her before. "For a big tough guy on the outside you sure are a big softy on the inside." Raph blushed but didn't lose his cool. He rolled on his side to face her. "Kinda' like you?" She sat up and gave him a questioning look. "How so?" "Well you're a leopard and have teeth and claws and when you do that 'poof' thing you can scare a ninja out of his mask but inside your kind and sweet and want to be hugged all the time." Hearing this Taylor chuckled. "What 'poof' thing?" "Ya' know that thing where your fur 'poofs' to make you look bigger." She changed into a leopard and hopped over to his bed. "Like this?" She tensed her muscles and 'poofed' out her fur making her appear twice as big. She lowered head and let out a small growl. Raph pretended to be terrified and covered his eyes. "Y-Y-Yes." When he uncovered them she was back to normal. "You can be pretty scary too." Raph smirked. "Really?" Taylor nodded. "Yeah, you can flex you muscles to intimidate people. Mine are hidden under my pelt." "Oh really?" Raph kneeled on the bed and flexed his muscles. "Grrrrr!" Taylor chuckled and roared back at him. Raph growled even louder. "GRRRRR!" Taylor bared her teeth and gave the biggest roar she could muster. They both laughed and growled at each other showing how tough they could be. Donatello in the adjacent room clearly irritated banged on the wall and yelled over to them. "Come on guys I'm trying to get some sleep!" His angry pleas only made them laugh harder. When they were all laughed out Taylor jumped back into her hammock and turned to Raph. "Well, we better get some sleep. If I remember correctly we have training in the morning." Raph stretched and pulled up the covers. "Good Night, kitty." Taylor smiled. "Night Raph."


	7. The Unthinkable

Hey everyone! We are now reaching the climax of the story. The next couple chapters are going to be a little shorter but nothing short of exciting. **Big Announcement**: There are only going to be 4 more chapter to this story plus an Epilogue. I know what you're thinking; already:(? Yeah, so sorry. But on the plus side there will be a sequel! For those who just have to have the preview NOW, PM me and I'll send you the summery. Enjoy!

~PurplePenguin50~

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The next few days were quiet. Taylor continued to join the boys on patrol every night, and there had been no signs of Karai or the Kraang since the other night. For the most part everything was pretty calm.

The turtles and Taylor were going on their usual patrol route when Leo stopped, almost causing a pile up behind him. Donnie walked up next to Leo. "What's wrong Leo? Why did you stop?" Leo looked around at their surroundings. "I just get the feeling that we're being watched." Raph knowing how his older brother tended to get antsy when none of their rivals made any appearances just shrugged it off. "Come on your just being paranoid. If they were watching us then Taylor would have picked up on it, right?" He looked toward Taylor hoping she would join his side of debate. She shook her head uneasily and continued to follow his gaze. "I think Leo's right. There's something here but I can't seem to find it." Taylor walked around the rooftop and scented the air. What she found only worried her even more. "Guys, something's not right. I can't smell anything." She walked up to Mikey and sniffed him. "Not even you guys." Donnie went over to Taylor and stuck a finger in her ear checking her temperature. "Maybe you caught another cold." She swatted his hand away and flattened her ears. "No, that's not it. Usually I can smell all kinds of things on the rooftops, there's always something, but now it's like, nothing." Leo thought for a moment. "Okay, we'll keep going but be extremely cautious. We don't want any more surprises." Everyone nodded as they turned and continued to walk along. Little did they realize, hidden from view, something was watching them; they were ready to put the thing that is known as a plan into action.

The five walked along in stiff silence, nobody wanting to chance their safety by making small talk. They neared the cluster of warehouses, and quickly made their way above the first couple. As they neared the last one the uneasy feeling everyone had began to increase. They jumped onto the final warehouse and started to walk across. When they reached the middle of the roof it gave way sending them crashing to the floor below, landing in the circle of light made by the gap where they had fallen through. Leo was the first back on his feet. "Is everyone all right?" Donnie pulled himself up followed by Mikey and Raph. "Yeah, I'm all right." "Us too." Mikey chimed in while Raph ran back to Taylor, helping her to her paws. "You okay?" She gave him a small smile. "I've had worse falls." They made their way back over to the others. Donnie looked around into the darkness. "Where are we?" Mikey took a couple steps back. "I don't know dudes, but I don't like this." Suddenly a large glass dome slammed onto the floor separating Taylor from the turtles. Taylor paced around and charged at the glass trying to free herself while the guys help. Raph looks at her through the glass. "Don't worry, we're gonna get you out." Taylor nods and starts pounding on the dome. A loud voice erupts in the building surprising them. "Kraang does not think that which is known as breaking the glass is such a thing that is known as a good idea." As Kraang finishes speaking electricity rips through the glass dome into Taylor. She screams as her friends watch helpless from the outside. She collapses on the ground panting when the electricity stops. "Is…..is…that…..all…you….you….got?" "Kraang thinks he shall show you how much more of the thing known as power Kraang has." Another round of electrical currents is sent through the dome. Taylor screams once more before re-collapsing on the ground not able to get up. Raph watches in horror as she lay there barely alive. "Let her go! Show yourself!" "Kraang does not feel like dealing with the ones known as the turtles, so Kraang shall take the thing that it known as Kraang's prize and go." As Kraang stopped the glass case containing Taylor started sliding backwards away from them. Mikey threw his chains around the dome to restrain it as it keeps sliding into the darkness. All four of them hold on with all their strength, creating a tug of war between them and the unseen Kraang force. Miraculously Taylor is on her feet again banging against the wall, giving herself a bloody nose in the process. More electricity fills the dome and Taylor is sent to the ground once more. Her blue aura attempts to go around her body but she fights it back. She drifts in and out of consciousness forcing her to remain on the ground. The chain snaps sending Leo, Mikey, Donnie, and Raph backwards as the dome slides forward. Raph sits up and reaches desperately towards the dome. "Taylor!" Taylor places her paw on the glass and opens her eyes to get one final look before disappearing into the unknown. "No!….No..."

The last thing Raphael saw was Taylor, her eyes staring straight into his. He remembered was what he saw in her eyes; panic, fear, worry, sadness. Her gaze screaming for him to save her, but him being powerless to do so. That was all he wanted. To save her, to hold her in his arms, to tell her everything was going to be alright. But know darkness loomed over him, picturing the torture she would endure. He was uncertain if he would ever see her again, never getting the chance to tell her how much he cared, how much she meant to him, how much he liked her, how much he wanted to be with her. How much he loved her.


	8. Never Leaving You

Okay everyone, here's what's up. This chapter will be half in Taylor's point of view, half regular. It might be a little...(for lack of a better word) gory. Viewer Discression is Advised. Also, I wanted you guys to know how much I appreciate your feedback. If you have any suggestions or want a preview to the sequal to this story just let me know. I'll also take suggestions for one-shots. Enjoy!

~PurplePenguin50~

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(Taylor's P.O.V)

Raphael was the last thing I saw before everything went black. The look on his face made my stomach drop. Panic, horror, worry, and fear painted his face like a sick picture. I knew how much it was killing him to be so helpless. It must have been like watching someone kick a puppy. I prayed for him to help me, though he would have no idea where I am or where I was going. I just hope I was still alive. I really wasn't sure at this point. Deep blackness surrounded me, being electrocuted three times and having a bloody nose doesn't exactly help your state of mind. After the second wave I could no longer hear or talk my vision was blotchy, but I still tried to save myself. The only thing drifting in my mind was what was going to happen to me. Would I ever see the guys again? Or Raph? Was I going to die? Was I going to be experimented on? Tortured? Starved? Beaten? What would happen if I live? I had been running from the Kraang nearly all my life. They were ruthless, vicious, mean, heartless aliens from another dimension. I had always wished my life was a bad dream that I would eventually wake up from. Everything kind of changed when I met Raph. Sure he was a big jerk at first but once you get passed his hard shell he was a big softy on the inside. He was the blessing I needed. He always knew how to cheer me up, make me feel better, give me a hug no questions asked. I grew on him, he grew on me. I couldn't imagine my life if I never met him.

I woke up as a human, I think. My vision was slowly starting to return. I couldn't hear much beside some technological noises and shuffling. I waited until I could see somewhat clearly. Above me was a grey ceiling of some sort, but it looked like it belonged to a cage. I began to move my arms, legs, fingers, and toes. Everything seemed to be working fine. I looked down at my shirt which was spotted with blood from my nose. I tried to sit up. That turned out to be the worst mistake of my life. As soon as I was upright the entire contents of what was left in my stomach emptied onto the floor of what I know saw was, in fact, a cage. I could barely sit up, but found enough strength to shimmy to the door and look out into where I was held. I was a huge room that looked like something out of a horror movie. Like a mad scientist lab alien-style. The things that scared me the most was the huge operating table in the middle of the room and the chains hanging on the wall. My attention then went to the lock, which was some kind of alien technology. Great.

I scrambled back into the space as I saw the giant door open and three Kraang droids walk in. Two of them unlock the cage and reach inside to pull me out. I fight them every step of the way with what little energy I had left. I'm standing on my feet now; quickly glancing at the door I realize there are no type of locks on it what so ever. I wait for the third droid to turn its back before knocking down the two restraining me. I run as fast as I can to the door and grab the handle. As my hand came in contact with it I found electricity coursing through me for the fourth time in less than twenty-four hours. I fall to my knees and try to remain conscious. The two droids come back over and haul me back up. The third one stood in front of me for a few seconds before punching me square in the face, starting up my nose bleed again. I looked back up at him when another fist collided with my face. The robot pointed over to the chains on the wall and the two lesser droids wrapped them around my wrists, having me face the wall. The third Kraang took out one of his blasters and extended the jagged blade. "Kraang will teach you to have more of the thing that is known as…_respect_." He raised it above his head and brought it down on my shoulder blade. I could feel a warm liquid running down my back, which I was desperately trying to ignore. He slammed the blade into me a few more times before throwing me back into my tiny prison. They purposely shoved me in there so I landed on my back. It felt like a raging fire slowly spreading across my back and shoulders. My silent cries for mercy we answered by my unconscious realm. The only thing in my thoughts was Raph and one single word. Help.

(Normal P.O.V)

The turtles returned to the lair to talk with sensei and come up with a plan to find Taylor. Tensions were high in the lair especially for Raph. "Sensei, no offense but we shouldn't be wasting time talking to you. We should be out there looking for Taylor. There's no telling what the Kraang could be doing to her….." Raph's voice dropped as he said those last few words. Splinter lowered his head and stroked his beard. "Raphael, we all care for Taylor and want to do everything in our power to get her back, but if you wish to do something right you must take the time to do it." Leo put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We need a couple hours to come up with a plan and find her. Then we can leave ASAP to rescue her." His younger brother angrily waved off his hand. "We don't have a couple hours, once they get what they want they'll kill her." Donnie spoke calmly to Raph, who was clearly getting more upset by the minute. "You, don't know that." He stood and sighed trying to keep his temper in check. "Yes, Donnie, I do know that, because I know what happened to her parents, I know how she got her power, I know why the Kraang want her, and I know why she needs us, why I need her. We're all she has. I promised her that I would never leave her, that I would always be there. Now, I'm going to keep that promise even if I die trying. And I'm going to do it with or without you guys." Raph walked out of the room, leaving his family in awe. Did Raphael, _the_ Raphael, just admit his feelings for a girl? Master Splinter must have been just as shock at the turtles for he kept his gaze fixed on the door where his son had left. He took a deep breath before addressing his remaining sons. "You must go. Help your brother. Bring Taylor home." Leo, Mikey and Donnie bowed quickly before running out after Raph. "Dudes, where do you think he went?" Leo opened the manhole and jumped up to the surface. "The only place he knows where the Kraang are. TCRI."


	9. Savior

Only one quick thing. Viewer discretion is advised. Enjoy!

~PurplePenguin50~

* * *

(Taylor's P.O.V)

The next few hours were nothing short of torturous. The Kraang droids kept coming back attempting to get me on that accursed table. Every time it would go the same; take me out, me fight them, try to escape, get beaten, be thrown back in my cage. They moved from my back to my arms. Sometimes they would claim to go easy on me and just put salt in my wounds, though that became more painful. They had fired a shot at me during one of my escape attempts. It burned through my shirt, undershirt, and had badly damaged my side. I was no longer able to walk, so I resorted to crawling if I tried going anywhere. I had pretty much given up hope of being rescued. I was literally lying on my death bed. The floor of my prison was covered in my own blood, sweat, and bodily fluids. I could no longer feel my back, or my left arm. I've lost a lot of blood, I don't know how much longer I'll be alive.

(Raphael's P.O.V)

I can't believe those guys! Taylor could be going through who knows what, and they want to take a couple hours to make plans. I could pretty much guess where she is, TCRI; everyone knows the Kraang are there. That's where she told me she had escaped from once before. One thing's for sure, if she escaped once the Kraang probably wouldn't let it happen again. As I jump along the rooftops the large building comes into view. I'm not going to go through the entire building, my plan is to scale the wall and find either A- the cell block, B- the laboratory, or C- the execution room. God, I hope I don't end up going near that last one. Once I find where she's held I'll slip in and out and bring her back to the lair. Hopefully she's alright.

I walk up to the side of the building directly under about twenty stories of paneled windows. I pull on the climbing gloves Donnie had made for us, but before I could begin to climb I hear someone call my name. I turn around to see my three brothers running towards me. Leonardo is the first to reach me. "Raph, we're really sorry. We had no idea how you felt about Taylor. We're here to help you get her back." They smile at me, and I smile back. So they decided to help me. Even though their annoying sometimes, I really do love my brothers. We all turn to the gigantic building in front of us, and Donnie pulls out his T-Phone. "According to the building schematics the cell block and laboratory are on the same floor we should head their first." "What floor is it?" I ask hoping it's somewhere close to the ground. "Floor 17." Good, we should be there in no time. We scale the building carefully counting the floors. When we hit seventeen Donnie cuts a hole in the glass and we get inside. It's a plain white hallway that seemed unnaturally quiet. It is strangely unguarded. Leo leads us down a separate hall we pass a number of cells, all of them empty. We come to a fork in the walkway. I notice on the floor countless scratch marks and a trail of blood. We choose to follow it down the hall on the right. We peak around the corner and we see a bunch of doors each of them guarded by two Kraang droids. Mikey grabs their attention while me, Leo, and Don throw stars at all of them, deactivating them on contact, barely making a sound. We cautiously walk past all of the doors. I looked in all of the rooms not seeing any sign of Taylor. Walking past one of the rooms something catches my eyes. This room had a cage built into the wall, which none of the others had. In it I could see a small figure lying there. It had to be her. I haven't seen anything to tell me otherwise. I motion the guys over. "There's something in here." Leo looked at me. "Do you think it's her?" Before I could answer Donnie unlocked the door with his electronic key-card and pushed it open. "There's only one way to find out."

All four of us walked in the room. Chains were hung near the door accompanied by various crimson stains on the wall and floor. The table in the middle of the room scares me the most, I try to ignore it and move towards the small cage. I walk up to the cage and look inside. It's Taylor! My excitement quickly drops when I realize what bad shape she's in. She's lying unconscious in a puddle of blood; she had a small black eye and a large gash along her arm. Donnie unlocks the cage door and I tenderly reach inside to pull her out. As soon as my hand touches her back her whole body jerks forward making me panic and set her back down. Leo helps me turn her over and I see what the real problem was. There were several deep wounds on her back along with some severe-looking scratches. My eyes filled with tears when I saw the fresh burn on her side. Donnie opens her eyes, instead of them being a cool icy blue color they were grey and lifeless. "We need to get her back to the lair; she's not going to last much longer." Donnie said in a panic. I rolled her over and picked her up, trying to avoid most of the injuries on her back. We bolted out of the room not even caring to shut the door. Mikey helped me scale down the side of the building, Taylor still in my arms. We ran to the nearest manhole and made our way towards the lair. Whatever happens in the future, at least I know right now at this moment, she's safe.


	10. Road to Recovery

Hey everyone! Here's the second to last chapter. (Awwwwww...) I'm working on the sequal as we speak. (Yaaaay!) One dilemma though, I can't decide if I want the story in Raph's point of view or not. PM me your opinion, but I'm leaning towards Raph's point of view, trust me if you knew the summery you'd know why. Oh, and I forgot to mention after each one of the next two chapters (Plus the epilogue) I'll give away a small hint about the the sequal to get you guys all revved up for it. Nothing big, but still. :) Enjoy!

~PurplePenguin50~

* * *

Raph rushed into the lair still holding Taylor. He followed Donnie into his lab, Mikey and Leo close behind. Don pushed a table over to him and grabbed some things from his first aid kit. "Set her down there." Raph did as he was told, setting her down on her stomach. He slid some scissors over to Raph as he dug through his closet. "Cut of the back of her shirt". Raph grabbed the scissors and cut her shirt and her undershirt, but stopped when it came to her underwear. "Even her…" "Yes that too." Raph pushed his thoughts aside and quickly cut it away as his brother came back over with couple machines, needles, stitches, rubbing alcohol, gauze, and bandages. He stuck the needles in her arm and turned on the machine the cords were attached to. Taylor's heart rate and blood pressure appeared on the screen. He wrote the numbers down on a piece of paper, and turned to his three brothers. "Guys could you…" Leo got Donnie's idea. "Yeah, Don, sure thing." Mikey looked up at his oldest brother. "What?" "Come on Mikey lets go talk to sensei and leave Donnie to do his work." Don let out a sigh as his brothers exited his lab. His work was much easier when he didn't have an audience. Raph stood at the other side of the table. "What do want me to do?" Don handed him some cloth and rubbing alcohol. "Clean the burn on her side, don't do anything that would make it bleed." Raph nodded and went to work as Donnie started cleaning and stitching the wounds on her back. After about a half hour the two had successfully patched up Taylor. Don wiped his brow and turned to his helper. "I need you to hold her up while I wrap her bandages around her. Be careful not to let the stitching rip, her blood pressure's rising so bleeding that bad now could probably not end well. You'll have to move the rest of her shirt out of the way but I have a towel to replace it with." Raph did as his brother instructed and through the rest of her shirt aside. Donnie quickly wrapped her up and positioned the towel so she had on some kind of top. They gently flipped her over so she lay on her back.

He washed his tool in the sink and walked back into his lab. Raph had pulled up a chair and was now sitting next to Taylor with a towel trying to wipe some of the blood out of her hair. "You really do like her don't you?" Donnie asked knowing his brother didn't have the energy to come after him if he crossed a line. Raph just nodded not taking his gaze off Taylor. "You should probably get some rest, I'll watch over her." "Are you sure Raph?" "Yeah, I'll be fine." "Okay, but if anything happens, I'll be right next door." Donnie checked his patient one last time before leaving, only Raph and Taylor still in the room. Raph leaned back in his chair keeping silent watch over his best friend. He knew she would live; only when she woke up would he know if she would truly be ok.

Taylor reluctantly opened her eyes. To her surprise she found herself staring up at a brick ceiling. The last thing she remembered was falling unconscious after yet another beating. Something felt different. She knew she was no longer at the Kraang laboratory, thank God. This place had a very comforting feeling to it. She lifted her head up and looked around. She looked to her right and saw Raph asleep in a chair, a smile slowly spreading across her face. She noticed her one arm was all wrapped up and her other arm was hooked to some kind of machine. Taylor tried to sit up but her back was not cooperating. She flailed her legs trying to sit up, but not succeeding. The noise she had been making awoke the sleeping Raphael. He sprang to life when he realized Taylor was awake. Raph, tried his best to envelope her in a hug. "I was so worried about you, I'm so happy you're alright." "Raph...Raph, that great and all... but...you're...hurting... me." Raph pulled back off of Taylor as her body started to relax after the painful, but heart-felt, hug. Donnie heard the commotion and rushed into the lab. "Is everyone..." He stopped when he saw Raph smiling down at Taylor. Donnie walked up to them. "Hey Taylor, how you feeling?" "Good I guess. I can't move though." Donnie fiddled with some loose bandaging on her arm. "You're back is probably stiff, you took quite a number of hits. I was really surprised your collar bone was still in-tact. That cut on your shoulder could have been much worse." Taylor nodded and felt the bandage on her shoulder. "Can you guys help me sit up?" "Yeah, sure." The two brothers lifted Taylor so she sat up-right, several bones in her back cracking as they did so. "Where did my shirt go?" Raph's face tinted pick as he pointed to the discarded pile of clothing on the floor. "Um, we kinda, had to, take them...off, so that we could ya' know, fix you up." Taylor's face started to turn red. "But we didn't see anything! We were more preoccupied with saving you life, rather than..._that._" Donnie gave his famous gap-grin. "We're professional." They all laughed until he spoke up again. "Although there will still be the thing of changing the bandages and if you need to take a shower you'll probably need help from someone." Before Taylor's face could get even redder she slides off the table and walks towards the door. "Let's go see the others; they probably don't know I'm alive yet." Donnie and Raph walk next to Taylor. "Okay, but there's just one rule: you can't be in your leopard form or we'll have to shave your fur." She shudders at the thought. "Noted." As the three walked into the living room, Mikey was the first to spot them. "Taylor!" He exclaimed and ran at her at full speed to give her a hug. Before he made it to her Raph stood in front of her giving him a hard stare, stopping him in his tracks. Donnie walked in between them and turned to Mikey. "Mikey, I don't think hugs are a good idea right now." Mikey, keeping a close eye on Raph walked over to Taylor and patted her head. Leo walked up to Taylor and put a gentle arm around her shoulders. "Glad, to see you're ok. How long will it take for you to be 100%?" "Don says at least a month or two." "That's good." Raph cleared his throat. "Um, guys?" Leo grabbed his two youngest brothers and pulled them out of the room. Mikey, not going quietly. "But I wanna waaaatch!" Once they were out of the room Raph turned back to Taylor. "So, I...just wanted to say...that...I'm happy you're alive." Taylor scratched the back of her head. "Thanks..." An awkward silence fell over the room. "Well, I guess I'll just be going to our room to..." She turned to leave but Raph grabbed her good arm. "Wait; there was something else I wanted to tell you. When you were taken by the Kraang, the only thing I had on my mind was getting you back and keeping you safe. I could never live without you, you're my best friend and I care about you. It's just so hard for me to tell you because I don't know how you'll take it and I don't want to jeopardize any of that." Taylor gave a small smile and looked up into his green eyes. "Raphael, you can tell me anything." Raph sighed and took Taylor's hands in his. "Taylor, I love you." Raph leaned down and gave her a soft, gentle kiss. When he pulled away he saw Taylor's shocked expression and his face fell. "I understand if you don't..." He was cut off by her lips on his. They separated and Taylor smiled up at him. "I love you, too."

* * *

Here's your first hint.

1. Welcome Back!

If you don't get it don't worry. You will ;).

~PurplePenguin50~


	11. Remember Me

Okay guys this is the last chapter before the Epilogue. I want to thank you so much for reading and supporting my first fan fiction and I hope you guys are just as excited for the sequal as I am. I have a question, what would you guys think about an 'Ask Raph and Taylor' blog on tumblr? It would still be under PurplePenguin50, and managed by yours truly. The reason I'm asking is that I have some artwork and stuff that I think you would like to see. Plus you would be able to ask only Raphael and Taylor. I would also put the fanfic on tumblr. I'm kind of trying to expand my horizons a little bit. I would update as often as I can (being a 10th grader doesn't exactly give you alot of free time). PM or review your opinion. If you don't have a tumblr I'll give you the address so you can still be apart of it. :) Enjoy!

~PurplePenguin50~

* * *

A couple months pasted since the Kraang incident. The wounds on Taylor's back and arm healed well, resulting in only the scar on her shoulder. Her physical self, sadly, was not the only thing that carried scars. She would have horrific nightmares, and wake up screaming in the middle of the night. She was constantly on-edge. Taylor kept going on patrol, seeing as that Master Splinter thought it would be good to be out in a large open space and get some fresh air. She and Raph are now together, though they were really touchy about the word _couple_; Taylor being more sensitive than Raphael. They preferred to think of themselves as a pair, partners, and friends. But for the most part as long as they were together, they were happy.

Taylor walked up to the dojo and poked her head through the door, her gaze falling on a meditating rat. "Master Splinter, can I talk to you about something?" Splinter looked up at the doorway and motioned her to come sit with him. Taylor now thought of Master Splinter as a father. If she ever needed any kind of advice or someone to talk with he was all ears. "What is it you wish to speak with me about?" "Ever since the accident I've been, you know, on-edge, stressed, jumpy. So maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea if I took a break for a while." Splinter raised his brow and listened to make sure he was hearing her correctly. "You wish to leave?" "Well...yes, but just for a little while. I just need some time to calm down, take a step back from everything." Taylor sighed and looked at the ground. "I need some time...I need some time to figure everything out but, I'm not sure how Raph will take it. I want to get better not send him over the edge trying to do so." "Raphael is a strong boy, it will be difficult, but he will not object. It is very hard to depart from someone you care about. In any case whichever decision you make I will honor. Sometimes a leave of absence is necessary to heal." Splinter stood followed by Taylor. "Thank you, Master Splinter." "You're welcome." She bowed before exiting the dojo to go find Raph.

Taylor walked into the living room and spotted Raphael sitting on the couch. "Hey Raph, can I talk to you for a second?" "Yeah, sure." She gestured for him to follow her into their room. They walked inside and Taylor closed the door behind them. "What do you want to talk to me about?" She sat on his bed and patted the spot next to her. He sat. "I'm leaving." "WHAT?!" "I said I'm leaving." Raph stood and faced her. "Why are you leaving?" She sighed. "I just need some time to think about everything." "Was it something I did?" "No, no, I just need some space right now." Raph looked at the ground. He knew this to be true she had not gotten a full night sleep in months, judging from the dark circles around her eyes. More often or not when someone went to touch her she would flinch. He glanced at the part of the scar on her shoulder not covered by her shirt. He knew she needed time to get over this. He sat down besides her once more. "When are you leaving?" "Tomorrow. Donnie gave me a map of the sewers so I'll get to the outskirts of the city." Tears started to fill Raph eyes, but did not go un-noticed by Taylor. She crawled into his lap. "Please don't cry. It's only for a little while, I'm not leaving forever." Raph he blinked back tears and hugged her. "I know, but I'll still miss you." "I'll miss you to."

The next day sadness filled the Hamato household. Nobody, especially Raph, wanted to see her go, but they knew it was for the best. Leo had given her one of his old bags to keep some of her stuff in, and Donnie had given her some of his maps. Taylor hugged each of the turtles and sensei, leaving Raphael for last. He hugged her tight, tears starting to roll down his cheeks. "You going to remember me?" She smiled up at him and wiped some of his tears away. "How could I ever forget?" She gave him a good-bye kiss. "I love you." "I love you, too. More than you'll ever know." Taylor waved, giving everyone one last good-bye and disappeared into the dark of the sewer.

* * *

Here's the second hint:

2) Pitter, patter of little paws.

I know what your thinking...but it's not the obvious. ;)


	12. Epilogue - One Last Gift

Hey everyone! Here's the epilogue, the last official chapter to 'Leopard in the night'. The sequal will be out in a little while, so keep an eye out for it. Also, Tumblr is up! Just type in- /blog/asktaylorandraph -in your search engine and it should come up. Feel free to check it out and ask Taylor and Raph anything you want to know. Enjoy!

~PurplePenguin50~

* * *

Taylor had just left and Raph retreated into his room. He sat one his bed and held Blue, the little stuffed leopard in his hands. Small tears continued to roll down his face. A knock sounded at the door, Raph wiped some stray tears and cleared his throat. "Come in." The door opened and Master Splinter walked in his room, his hands behind his back. "Are you alright, my son?" Raph gave a small nod. "I miss her already." Splinter put a comforting paw on Raphael's shoulder, and kept the other behind him. "You must understand this is not easy for her. Before she left she told me that she was afraid about how you would handle her absence. She said walking away from you and all of us was the hardest thing she has ever had to do. Though it may not seem so now, but her choice to leave was the best decision she made for herself." Raph looked up to his father. "How'd you figure that sensei?" "Sometimes the road to healing envelopes a step back; to refocus on the things most important to you, and accept the past. When she is ready to accept what happened on that night, there is no doubt in my mind she will come back to us, to you." Raph smiled at the last sentiment of his father's words. Splinter looked down at Raph. "Taylor told me before she left to give this to you when she had gone." Master Splinter brought a blue book out from behind his back and placed it in his son's hand. He stood and smiled before leaving the room reclosing the door. Raph studied the book. It had a picture of him and Taylor on the front, from that one time Mikey had lent them his camera, and a small yellow paw-print in the corner. He opened the cover and found a small message.

'Dear Raph,

Ever since that day that we stopped fighting I knew there was something special between us; a bond nothing could ever break. You helped me get over so many bumps in my life, for which I could never repay you. You taught me how to relax, have fun, and enjoy life, something I never knew much about. You are my best friend and nothing will ever change that. You will forever hold a special place in my heart. I hope you will always remember me, because I will never forget you.

Love, Taylor.'

Raph smiled, even though she was never really good at writing or spelling, she always found a way to do something special for him and make him smile. He flipped the next page to find more pictures. There were ones of them simple chilling out, and ones of Taylor and Spike. His favorite by far was one of them sitting on the couch, Raph's arm wrapped around Taylor and she resting her head on his shoulder, and Spike standing in between them two feet on Raph's knee and two on Taylor's. As he flipped through the rest of the pages all of the memories they shared together came flooding back to him, making his heart swell. He knew Mikey was the one who had taken most of the pictures, being as though the people in the photos were not fully aware of a camera recording all of their fun. Raph closed the book and set it next to him. He sat for a while and thought of the girl they had saved that night on the roof and given a home. Taylor truly did hold the one and only key to Raph's heart.

* * *

Here's your last hint!

3) Random laser beams from ice cream machines.

It probably seems a little random but once you connect the dots, you get one awesome story plot.

Why do I keep rhyming? Maybe it's just the timing. Man!

Any-who, I have one last surprise. The summery for the sequal! Although I'm still experimenting with the title.

**The Leopard of The Lair.**

** Taylor has returned! Just in time for the turtles' 21****st**** mutation day. But what happens when one of Donnie's machines malfunctions and turns back the hand of time? Can Raph handle the new responsibilities that come with being a caregiver? What role with this have on his relationship? RaphxTaylor. Sequel to 'Leopard in the Night'. Coming Soon!**


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